


A Whisper of Comfort

by OddmentsandTweaks



Category: The Magnus Archives (Podcast)
Genre: ASMR, Canon Asexual Character, Comfort, Communication, Cuddling & Snuggling, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sex-Repulsed Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist, Sleepy Cuddles, safe house period
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-02
Packaged: 2021-03-06 16:46:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,772
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26242135
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OddmentsandTweaks/pseuds/OddmentsandTweaks
Summary: Jon walks in on Martin watching something on his phone that he seems deeply embarassed about.Just what the hell is ASMR?
Relationships: Martin Blackwood/Jonathan "Jon" Sims | The Archivist
Comments: 19
Kudos: 116





	A Whisper of Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> In honour of ACT II of Season 5 coming out tomorrow to wreck us all I thought I'd share this little scene that popped into my head. It's a little look at a domestic scene between Jon and Martin, the latter sharing something they can both relax to safely and comfortably. There's a little bit of miscommunication at the start but they get there by the end!

“Martin I—” Jon paused, taking in the scene of Martin, laying on their bed, eyes heavy lidded and mouth slightly open, all his attention fixed on his phone screen. “What are you doing?”

Martin startled like a scalded cat, hurriedly shoving his phone under one of the pillows turning beet-red.

“I…”

Jon had no real frame of reference for this kind of response so went with the thing that made the most logical sense to him, “Were, were you watching porn?”

Impressively, Martin got even redder. He started spluttering, “What? Porn? No! God Jon, you can’t just say— NO! No I wasn’t!”

Jon gave him a fond, slightly exasperated smile. “It’s alright you know,” it really was too, just because Jon wasn’t interested in anything sexual didn’t mean that he had any intention on limiting Martin’s activities. “I don’t mind. I can leave if you to, um, finish?” Was that the right term?

Martin only looked more flustered, “No! Jon! I wasn’t, it’s not, and anyway I wouldn’t do that in our room!”

“Why not?” Jon was genuinely puzzled, he’d had to endure enough ‘banter’ at university disclosing such behaviour back in his first halls of residence, before second year and he settled into a friendship group that didn’t try to be as obnoxiously pseudo-alpha male as possible as his hall-mates did. “Surely the bedroom is usually the place for this.” He offered reasonably.

“Because it’s our room!” Martin all but squeaked.

“I, don’t see—,” Martin made a strangled noise and Jon changed tack, “I, alright well it’s clearly not a conversation for now, what were you doing then?” he asked, hoping it was something Martin was willing to talk about.

“I, promise you won’t laugh?” Martin was still looking decidedly mortified.

“I’ll do my best, I’m not known for my propensity to burst into gales of laughter.” Jon’s deadpan tone had Martin chuckling and dissolved the tension in the room.

“I, alright, I was watching YouTube, have you heard of something called ASMR?”

“No, is it, uh, a dance style?” he tried, determined not to _know_.

Martin couldn’t help it, it was just a Jon response he gave a short snort.

Jon huffed, painfully aware that he really wasn’t up on pop culture unless it was being forced directly into his brain by the beholding or, his chest seized, by Tim back when they were in research, “I thought I was the one who was trying not to laugh?”

“Right, fair. It’s a relaxation thing.” Martin began, “I used to use it a lot before, when things were bad. There’s lots of different types to choose from.”

“Okay? Um, Good?” Jon hoped to get some sort of prompt from his boyfriend but clearly he was expecting more from Jon. “What different types?” The archivist ventured, “Do most of them involve attractive women whispering things?”

Martin blushed harder. “Oh, no that’s just Maria, I, like her voice.” He mumbled, trailing off, suddenly feeling guilty.

Jon immediately regretted his phrasing, “Sorry, that, that sounded petty, I didn’t mean it like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like I was accusing you of something, I’m not, I, um, Martin, I have honestly no idea what this is, if it’s something that helps you relax then I’m pleased for you. You don’t have to be embarrassed on my account.”

“I’m not embarrassed, well, maybe a bit because it is a personal thing but, it doesn’t have to be. It’s something we could share.”

“Share?” Jon could feel the colour rising in his own face now, “I, um, I know we’ve talked a bit but I’m not sure I—”

Martin’s face suddenly drained of colour, “Oh shit, Jon, sorry, look I’m not explaining this well, this, this isn’t, ASMR isn’t a sexual thing, at all. It’s just sounds and movements and stuff.”

“So ASMR is?” Jon asked gently, more confused than ever but desperate not to invade Martin’s privacy accidentally nor make him any more uncomfortable than he already had which was bad enough.

“It stands for Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response, basically if you find something you like it gives you brain tingles, (he was about to say it’s having a brain orgasm but that would be decidedly unhelpful in the whole ASMR-is-not-a-sex-thing explanation he was going for) it feels amazing, like everything just relaxes, almost like getting a good massage.” Jon looked non-plussed, so Martin tried to elaborate, “different people have different triggers.”

“Like for panic attacks?”

Well that said it all about their previous experiences didn’t it?

“Kind of,” He smiled ruefully, “but it more like different sounds or styles, so it might be tapping, or things being crinkled. Sometimes it’s someone whispering friendly things to you or reading a story. Others it might be movement like hands folding paper or other sort of repeating patterns. Not everyone gets the tingles at all.” He tried to figure out a way of elaborating.

“There’s a lot that focuses on looking after people.” Way to go Blackwood, eloquent as ever.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, like, lots of roleplays,” Jon started to prickle, he’d heard of roleplay but that had always had a whole sexual element to it which he had absolutely no interest in exploring, but Martin continued, “like, someone might be doing a hand massage or brushing hair. There was a whole craze a while ago when everyone did a cranial nerve examination to the camera pretending the viewer was the patient.”

“Okay?” Jon really wasn’t sure to make of all this, in theory it sounded like it could be pleasant but something about it had him on edge, like it was going to be a bait and switch. Or maybe he just couldn’t imagine anyone touching him gently other than Martin and they’d not gone much further than hugs and some very clothed cuddling.

“But there’s lots of videos when it’s two people, usually one person giving the other a massage or brushing their hair or just taking care of them, it’s, it’s nice. It’s all about caring for someone, touching them gently, looking after them. I, I like it. It’s calming, like soothing by proxy.”

Jon didn’t need to _know_ that Martin would absolutely rather not have shared this unless he absolutely had to so he now had two choices, either come across as cold and uncaring, leave the room and make Martin feel like he should somehow be ashamed for what he enjoyed or see what this was about for himself and try to be supportive, if he didn’t like it or it made him uncomfortable he could say. Martin always insisted on Jon being clear about his boundaries and for that Jon was inexpressively grateful.

“Alright, well, let’s have a look.”

The dawning smile and relief on Martin’s face was something Jon was going to file away to cherish later. Like he’d just given him the sun. Another pang hit him, that Martin could be so pleased just by Jon showing an interest in something he liked. Jon had so much to make up for.

The Archivist still had no idea what to expect though.

Martin, almost giddy with excitement did his best not to show it, determined that he was best to ease Jon in, he had paid attention to Jon around the cottage. Jon seemed to like quieter things which was unsurprising but a few things stood out, he seemed to relax more when Martin was making tea and if he gently tapped Jon’s arm to get his attention.

Tapping maybe then? Maria had a lot of those, her movements were gentle and slow and soft. Nothing there to startle. It was worth a go.

Martin pulled up his favourite of her tapping ones and gestured Jon to sit next to him on the bed.

Jon braced himself as the video started, trying to think of polite ways to excuse himself if he needed to.

It took about five seconds for the effects to kick in.

Gentle tingles bloomed across his scalp then flowed in a soft wave down his spine to wash along his limbs and foam at his finger tips and toes.

Jon let out a ragged “huhhh?”

Martin beamed with realisation that Jon was also affected, maybe he’d finally find a chance to truly relax for once, “it’s good isn’t it? How do you feel? Is it okay?” he checked-in.

“It, I, it’s so,” Jon flailed verbally for some sort of purchase, “is this how it feels for you?” he managed.

“Yes, mostly.” Martin was made up at Jon’s reaction, he’d slumped against him like all the air had left him. He would have said ‘strings cut’ but that just brought up bad memories that had no business being there. “It’s just a good way to relax, like everything just melts away for a bit, leaving you warm and snug.”

“I, I’ve never, it, is this what an orgasm is supposed to feel like?”

Martin considered, treating the question with the significance it deserved, “Kind of, if it leaves you feeling limp and satisfied and happy then, yeah pretty much.”

“I can see why you like sex.” Jon conceded with a half-smile. It wasn’t something he wanted to experience first-hand at all but this sort of bliss was something he could get behind, it felt like peace, like he felt settled in his own body.

“It has its moments.” Smiled Martin.

“I don’t think I’ve ever felt like this, just relaxed. Calm. Satisfied.”

Martin’s smile deepened. “I’m so pleased it works for you.”

Jon turned a grateful, genuine smile to him, “Thank you for sharing it with me.”

Martin mirrored his expression, “Thanks for being willing to try.”

Jon paused, considering, Martin had been very insistent on Jon voicing his wants and needs just as much Martin had promised to even if the vocabulary felt rusted in his mouth with forgotten use, “Can, can we cuddle together and watch more?” Jon felt decidedly boneless, relaxed in a way he couldn’t remember ever feeling and if he could do so from the comfort of Martin’s arms? Well he might just dissolve in happiness. It was a risk he was very willing to take whilst he refused to listen to that part of him that felt childish for asking.

Martin beamed at him, thrilled that his was something that could be theirs without anyone to take it from them “Of course.”

They settled comfortably on the bed, Jon tucked against Martin, head resting against his chest, listening to Martin’s steady heartbeat and the soft tapping on screen Jon felt, for the first time in a very long time, safe and secure and loved.

**Author's Note:**

> So this is a little bit different for me, I wanted to write a comfort fic for the two of them that was a little bit different, I've not really seen any fics in the fandom incorperate ASMR and honestly I just want these two to have a nice gentle way to relax comfortably together for once. (I just want them to be safe and happy dammit!)
> 
> The YouTube channel Martin is referring to is a real one, it's Gentle Whispering and she's amazing! (I have ASMR and hooboy has her channel helped me get to sleep on difficult nights) 
> 
> I've never written a sex-repulsed Ace character before so please, if I've got something wrong, do let me know so I can edit. 
> 
> Thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoy it. Please let me know what you think.


End file.
